Succession
by katana284
Summary: Set right after Hokage dies. Team 7 must escort Gaara back to the Sand. Orochimaru interferes, wanting the position of Kazekage. This is my first fanfic ever! Reviews and critiques would be nice.
1. Chapter 1

"This is good. Unexpected, but good." Slitted yellow eyes flicked from a piece of paper to the cloaked person crouched in front of them. "You may go."

The cloaked person nodded and vanished in a swirl of sand which faded away as well. Flame consumed the piece of paper that fluttered to the floor as those slitted yellow eyes became lost in deep thought.

ooo

"Aaah!" a blonde haired boy yelled in frustration "Late again! Late again! Always, always late!!!" he danced around and continued to yell in frustration.

"Shut up, dobe." A raven haired boy looked at his companion in annoyance.

"Care to say that again?!!"

"Shut up dobe."

"Make me!!!"

"Why don't I?"

"Yeah, see if you can!!"

Throughout the commotion, a pink haired girl sighed, staring at them in exasperation. "Stop bugging him, Naruto!" she yelled at her blonde friend.

"But he started it Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined as Sasuke smirked.

Suddenly, there was an audible "poof!" and a silver haired jounin appeared, flipping a page of his book entitled "Icha Icha Paradise".

"Kakashi-sensei!!" both pink and yellow heads turned "You're late!!!" Naruto said with a finger jabbing at the air for emphasis and Sakura with a frown.

"I met an old lady and—" "Save it!" Naruto said, his arms akimbo "What's for today?"

"A mission as usual…come with me." he turned without waiting to see if they would follow.

They followed of course, trotting after him all the way until the Hokage's office.

ooo

"So…you'll be doing a B-class."

"A B class mission?!"

"Yes, B because you'll be doing it without your sensei." Tsunade yawned, unaware that ink scrawlings stuck to her cheek.

_(Sakura's thoughts narrated)_

"Why won't he come?" Sakura asked. Naruto was grinning ear to ear and Sasuke didn't seem to care.

'_I must be the only sane one in this group!!!' _Inner Sakura yelled.

"First, Konoha needs all the help it can get; that means me,all the available ninjas, and the Sand as well." Kakashi started ticking off reasons with his fingers.

'_The Sand? What do they have to do with this?' _Sakura wondered.

"Second, your team has considerable experience compared to other teams; I think you'll do just fine without me."

At this, Naruto grinned and Sasuke smirked simultaneously but Sakura still held a worried frown.

"Third, you're best suited to this mission for reasons the Hokage will disclose to you now. Good luck!" Kakashi smiled and disappeared with a "poof!"

'_What the hell?! Whaddaya mean?! What was that all about? Why didn't you tell us?!' _Inner Sakura raged silently at the now-missing Kakashi.

"Alright..." Tsunade cleared her throat "You three are to escort Gaara back to the Hidden village of Sand. You know what to do; secure supplies, equipment, maps and anything else needed. This is an important mission, do not fail. Any questions?"

"Why is it so important, huh, ba-chan?" Naruto squinted at her curiously.

"Konoha renewed its alliance with the Sand recently; they've agreed to help us rebuild Konoha and in return, we have to show we're trustworthy." The Godaime stood and walked to the window. "That's all you need to know. Go and prepare, you start at dawn tomorrow."

At the clear dismissal, the three left silently.

ooo

"That was weird huh?" Naruto said, looking at his teammates. "She didn't even answer my question."

"Actually, she did, Naruto." Sakura said absently

"Huh?" He looked at her blankly. "All I heard was Konoha, Konoha, something about building…" he trailed off.

"Gaara's the new Kazekage." Sasuke said bluntly.

"Wow, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gushed. "You're so smart! I bet you put it all together even before she told us about the mission!"

Sasuke suddenly turned right from the street they were on.

"Wait, where are you going?' Sakura called after him.

He stopped for a second or two then replied, "Home"

'_Home….why?'_ thought Naruto, stopping. _'……oh yeah, prepare like ba-chan said.That bastard beat me to thinking of it…darn him!'_ and he turned to Sakura saying, "You should go home too Sakura." And he turned left, dashing for his house as well. _(obviously Naruto thoughts here)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Sorry, I forgot the last time, I don't own Naruto, this goes for the previous chap too.

Since the change in perspectives is confusing, I put labels indicating who's thoughts and perspectives I'm narrating. Hope it's good enough!

Well, chapter 2, here goes…

ooo

_(Sasuke's thoughts narrated)_

He heard footsteps approaching and looked up. Gaara's green, black rimmed eyes stared back at him.

"Let's go."

It was early in the morning, just before the sun had risen; Kakashi had dropped by after the briefing, advising them to start early. Team 7 prepared to head out, Sasuke leading, then Gaara, followed by Naruto and finally Sakura who brought up the rear.

"How far will it be?? Are we there yet? Why is it so early? I'm sleepy!"

"Shhh, Naruto! You're too noisy!"

"See! The sun's not even up yet, why should I be?!"

"You don't have to follow the sun, Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan, aren't YOU sleepy?"

"Shut up, both of you."

"Ehehe…Sorry Sasuke-kun." Sakura glared at Naruto angrily.

While the two continued bickering, Sasuke studied the map as they lead from tree to tree. It would take more or less two weeks to get there; one to reach the desert and one to reach the village-- If they had a good pace. If not…well, he'd make sure they made good speed.

His attention resumed to his teammates and their charge. _'Good.' _It was quiet now; Naruto was staring sullenly ahead as he patted his tummy and Sakura looked annoyed. He proceeded to observe Gaara.

The Sand nin was staring right at him and they looked a while at each other before breaking eye contact.

'_I can't make out what he's thinking. Can he?' _the dark- haired boy wondered. _'Hmph, I've got more important stuff to do than this.'_

ooo

"It'll work I tell you! I'll give power to you sooner than you've planned." A lean man in desert garb said insistently.

"That remains to be seen." An oily voice hissed.

"Will you consider my proposal then, if I bring those brats' heads to you as proof?"

"We shall see when you bring then. If you bring them."

"I won't fail you. By your leave then, Orochimaru-sama." The lean man bowed and left the tent.

As he emerged from pavilion, a stocky man hurried to his side.

"Well?"

"We'll gain power real soon. Just you wait and see Gamaru."

"If you say so."

"Well, don't just stand there! Send out scouts to pinpoint their location, get me information on those brats."

"Yessir Orita."

ooo

_(Gaara's thoughts narrated)_

The breeze that ruffled his hair was hot and dry. Yes, they were near.

Why was he sent for? There would only be squabbling and useless argument over this petty matter. He did not care for political power. It complicated things. He was alive to prove his existence. That was it. Choose some stiff, royal-blooded official to get it over with.

This ninja escort complicated things too. He did not need weaklings to protect him—especially ones as noisy as these.

_(Naruto's thoughts narrated)_

Naruto's skin prickled. Turning to find Gaara's glare on him, he stopped in mid-shout and swallowed. '_This guy…' _he thought, remembering his fight with Gaara and Shukkaku.

"What?" he said loudly, meeting Gaara's glare with his.

The sand nin ignored this and the string of outraged complaints that followed.

'_Why does he have to be escorted, this guy? He doesn't need it. And why is he so darn important anyway!?'_

Naruto's rant subsided into a low grumble after a while. They'd been traveling for five days already, and nothing had happened. He was bored.

As if on cue, a kunai shot out at him, grazing his left arm lightly.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled angrily. "Don't let your guard down!"

'_I know, bastard!' _Naruto looked around, trying to locate the kunai's source. _There! _He spotted a figure leaping away from him. He leapt at it, attempting to follow.

More kunai flew at him, seemingly from nowhere.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, doing a series of hand positions. Several clones of him appeared, deflecting kunai and chasing the figure.

"Coward!! Come back and fight like a real man!" he yelled again as the kunais stopped raining down on them and the figure disappeared. He looked back and saw that numerous kunais were embedded in the trees surrounding Sakura, Sasuke and Gaara.

"Oh, so I'm a coward now, am I?" a musical voice coming from above asked him teasingly." and a cowardly man at that."

They looked up to see a slender young girl looking down at them with merry green eyes. She had crow's hair that was pulled into a tight bun and secured by a red ribbon. She had a kimono-like getup that was sleeveless and reached mid-thigh. On her arms and feet were leather arm guards and boots respectively. The usual ninja belt pouch was fastened around her hips. She was about twenty five feet across and above them.

"Well, I didn't mean, I didn't know uhm—" '_She's pretty' _ Naruto thought, as he struggled with his words.

"Save it boy" She smirked at him, "You don't seem like much to me either. Ah well," she sighed. "Let's get this over with."

And with that she disappeared with a "poof!"

ooo

Heh, I finally updated. So sorry for the long wait, ideas don't exactly come pouring in like they do to other authors. Thank you, my one reviewer! I really appreciate it! XD

Oh, and who can speak Japanese fluently? There are gonna be fight scenes and the bad guys have to have jutsus; only, I don't know how to translate, not sure if online dictionaries are reliable and correct when the words are put together and all. So yeah, if you're willing to help, send me a message. If not, well I guess you'll have to settle for my lousy jutsus and writing.

And, I'm not sure how I do with fight scenes, so please bear with me in the next chap( which is gonna come out…I dunno when yet, sorry!)

Well, you know what to do: read and review.

P.S. Do you want named chapters or what? Any suggestions?


	3. Chapter 3

Tadaa! Third chappie finally. Bet you didn't think I was even working on it, did you? Well, I was, albeit slowly and besides, this is a make-it-up-as-we-go-along story hehe.

And oh yeah, I'm really super sorry to all those anonymous reviewers; I didn't know that setting (the one that doesn't allow anonymous reviews) was on. I have taken it off now—I think.

ooo

"WHAAT!" yelled an insulted Naruto. " don't seem like much, why, I'll show you!"

Sakura sighed, turned to check on Gaara and stopped.

_(Sakura's thoughts narrated)_

'_I can't move! Is this a genjutsu? I should be immune to most…'_Sakura's thoughts trailed off worriedly.

'_Move, darn you, move!!'_ Inner Sakura yelled, shaking a fist.

'_What?!'_ Red lines began to form on her fair skin accompanied by a stinging sensation.

"Sakura, don't move!" Sasuke yelled, not moving an inch himself.

'_Oh, I get it!' _Sakura stopped struggling. _'And I wondered why her aim was so off, she used kunais to create a steel web, cutting of our movement and enabling her to plan her next move as well. Sasuke already figured this out.'_

"What? What? Don't go ignoring me like that!!" Naruto yelled at them; red lines covered him as well.

"Don't move Naruto! You'll hurt yourself more." Sakura yelled at him. "There are metal threads surrounding you right now, they'll cut your skin every time you move."

"So you've finally found out, I was wondering how long it'd take" the girl's voice carried out to them "Chimeiteki na amimono no Jutu!" Simultaneously, the metal threads started tightening and kunais began raining down upon them.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled right after, his hands bleeding as he made the hand signs.

Several clones vanished at once but there were still enough left. "You guys, stop those kunais!"

As Naruto's clones weaved in and out, trying to deflect kunais, Sasuke pulled a shuriken out of his belt pouch, causing cuts on his arm. If he could only free himself...It was impossible at this angle. As his eyes searched for something he could use to his advantage, they landed on Sakura trying to wriggle out of the tangle of wires around her.

Leaning forward slightly, he threw the shuriken, hoping it would free her.

'_Free!_' The nearest threads biting into her skin suddenly fell away as a shuriken sliced the thick threads._ 'But who?' _Glancing at the direction where it came from, she saw Sasuke. "Thanks Sasuke!" she shouted at him, feeling extremely happy.

'_I've gotta save him too!' _She threw the shuriken back at him and the threads holding him broke apart with an audible "twang!"

Turning around to check on Gaara, she found the area behind her empty, but upon closer inspection , she saw that metal threads were broken to_. 'So he got away already. So much the better for us…__Ｉ__think.'_She looked back to see—nothing. Sasuke was gone, and so was Naruto. _'Oh great,, and once again, I am left behind.'_

ooo

_(Sasuke's thoughts narrated)_

'_Above…or below. Those're the only ways to set off so many kunais at once. Unless she's got some jutsu like Ten-ten's of course, which I doubt.' _Sasuke jumped from branch to branch, skimming the upper parts of the huge trees that marked the territory as part of Konoha

'_There!' _Spotting a figure hidden in a tree just a few meters away, he bounded towards it silently.

As he arrived behind the girl, she turned around to block his hit and aim a kick. He ducked and grabbed her left leg, pulling her off balance, and aimed a blow that would knock her unconscious. She suddenly leapt off the branch they were standing on and jerked her leg out of his hand.

He leapt after her, and they were both hurtling down, snagging branches along the way. She threw several shurikens at him but he blocked them with his kunai. In the split seconds used to block them, she threw an exploding tag at him.

'_Shit' _He grabbed a branch and swung on it, landing on another, crouching to avoid getting burned.

Several shurikens whipped towards him and hit---a log. "Kawarimi?" she whispered, and suddenly he was behind her, smirking, with a kunai at her throat.

"Cocky, aren't you?" she said, vanished with a "poof!"

'_A clone! I should've known.' _He scolded himself for being so careless_. 'At this rate, I'll never catch up to him!'_

ooo

Nanako landed on a branch and looked around, making sure none of those pesky brats had followed her.

'_Not bad.'_She thought. _'I'll bet Gamaru didn't even bother to check their stats.'_

Climbing up the tree, she entered the heart of its thickest branches. There, threads were tied together in a tangle, nearly invisible. She had known the team of Konoha ninjas would pass through this forest and she had taken the time to string parts of the forest with thread. By letting her chakra flow through the threads she gained a new awareness and could identify movement, allowing her to track them down.

'_Well, let's see…'_ She crouched and touched the tangle and let her chakra flow through her hands to it, giving it a glow of faint lavender_. 'They've moved. No matter, that boy will lead me to them. About thirty meters northeast from here and still moving. Fast too.'_

She sighed. _'That idiot Gamaru, targeting kids.'_ She shook her head and got a kunai from her belt pouch. Bending down, she made several hand signals and whispered "Houkagyou no jutsu"

Lines of fire emerged from the tips of her fingers and lighted the tangle, which in turn lit each of the lines connected to it. It traveled across the threads, burning them as it did so.

Nanako glanced down at the burnt base of the branch she had set her thread ball upon and sighed once more. _'A mission is a mission, you don't have to like it to do it.' _Thinking so, she took off.

ooo

Well, how was it? You have witnessed my very lousy attempt at trying to invent new jutsus. The 'Chimeiteki na amimono no Jutu'is supposed to mean deadly web and the 'Houkagyou no jutsu' (no, it's not supposed to be that fireball jutsu of Sasuke's) is supposed to mean 'fire line' I was supposed to ask for more help but got impatient and posted it, as you can see. So, tell me if it sounds funny or what it's supposed to be—that sorta thing.

Feel free to PM me; give suggestions, notes or whatever. Special thanks to Ida Cippo and Party in the Afterlife.

P.S. Gamaru is Nanako(the girl ninja)'s boss; the guy who bargained with Orochimaru)

P.S.S. I changed the rating 'coz of the language hehe.

Read and Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

Well, I'm really really sorry that I haven't updated in a while 'coz number one, we were having our final exams and I had to study (duh), number two, I got sick, was brought to the hospital, and could not get to the computer. So once again, sorry.

ooo

_(Gaara's thoughts)_

As soon as kunais started raining down on them, a sand shield formed around Gaara, effectively blocking the sharp blades and stopping the threads' tightening around him. The threads soon snapped from the tension and after a while, the sand swirled back into the gourd on Gaara's back, signaling that the attack had stopped, at least for that time.

Gaara looked at his companions; the girl was not moving at all, the blonde was yelling and ignoring his bleeding cuts, and the other boy was trying in vain to reach his belt pocket. _'Utterly useless.'_ he thought, _'I'll just find her and finish her off myself.'_

He headed for the direction of the place he last saw the kunoichi in.

ooo

_(Naruto's thoughts narrated)_

'_Damn, I've got to do something about these cuts.' _Naruto never stopped his pace as he sped through the forest recklessly, his wounds soaking into his clothes.

He had to find the girl, he just had to. He'd prove to her how strong he was. _'I'll make her acknowledge me!'_

"Now…" Naruto scratched his head, "where was she again?" He had acted on pure gut feeling, ending up in the opposite direction the kunoichi had taken. Beginning to feel like it might not be such a bad idea to turn back, Naruto halted his breakneck pace and yelped as he lost his balance.

"Whoa!" He grabbed a branch before his fall could pick up more speed. Groping around with his other hand, he found a handhold on the tree and pulled himself onto a stouter branch.

"Whew, that was close!" Naruto plopped onto the branch, tired. His hand touched something powdery and grainy, and he turned to look at it. _'Huh?'_ Holding it up to the fading light, he saw that it was a burnt thread. "Why would anyone burn thread?" He asked himself out loud. "thread can be used for umm sewing clothes, tying stuff and..umm…" he suddenly remembered the metal threads that had made him bleed, " binding people." Suddenly feeling fuzzy, he put the thread in his pocket and made a mental note to tell Sakura and that bastard about this.

'_Why is it suddenly dark? Uh-oh, I'd better go back before it gets really dark…'_ this was Naruto's last thought before total darkness enveloped his vision, and he blacked out.

Ooo

_(Sakura's thoughts narrated)_

'_Who the hell are they, thinking they can leave me behind?! Stick wih your team, dammit!'_ Inner Sakura raged. Sakura found and was now following the trail of blood Naruto's wounds had left.

'_He better be alright, that darn idiot.' _She thought worriedly.

She'd wondered what to do after finding out that they had all left her. Inner Sakura had raged for a while but after that three arguments besieged her. First, she must find her teammates, her thoughts centering on Sasuke; it was an instinct born of the affection she had for him and teamwork was the most important thing in a team and obviously, she couldn't have teamwork without a team. Second, she must find Gaara, he was their mission, of sorts; it was what a shinobi should do, to think for the mission first and foremost. Third, she must eliminate the kunoichi that had attacked them; this would eliminate the threat to all of them, making it easier for her to find Naruto and Sasuke as well as making Gaara safe, ensuring the mission's success so far.

When she saw the blood where Naruto had been, she decided to follow him. Gaara and Sasuke could take care of themselves; all three probably went in pursuit of the kunoichi and following Naruto would give her a teammate and maybe lead them to the enemy. _'Two birds with one stone'_ she thought.

The blood that came in dark and dried spots now turned into redder smears as she followed Naruto's trail. It increased as she continued.

'_Huh?'_ the trail stopped here, the blood pooling in a puddle on the branch. _'He stopped…and then what?' _

Sitting back on her heels, she held her head in frustration. _'Aargh! What now, Naruto you stupid idiot! You've led me on a wild goose chase!'_

Looking at the blood again sideways, she noticed that it was still damp and there was a smear_. 'A smear?' _ Looking over the branch she was on, she looked down. _'Bingo!'_ Seeing an orange speck, she leapt down.

"Naruto! You idiot, you ha—" he was lying in a puddle of his own blood. Cold fear gripped her stomach as she knelt down beside him. Putting her hands on his wounds, she pressed hard. _'No water to clean it, I'll just have to stop the bleeding. Applying pressure stops bleeding.' _She remembered a teacher's lecture as she wound his right arm, legs and his side with white bandages from her belt pouch.

When she was done wrapping his wounds with the bandages, she wiped her hands on her skirt and hauled him to a sitting position. Then..

"NARUTO!!! Wake up you idiot!!!" She yelled slapping his face from side to side with full force.

He immediately bolted up. "Whu--? It's bright all of a sudden. Morning?" Rubbing his eyes, his vision focused on a face staring at him intently. A face framed by pink hair. He blushed. "Sa-Sakura-chan what—ow!" He looked at his arm and saw that it was bandaged.

"Stop moving Naruto. You'll bleed on them again." She sighed in relief.

"We have to find Gaara! And Sasuke! And that girl!" Naruto stood up, ignoring what Sakura had just said.

"Oh, and I found this!" He held up a piece of burnt thread. Sakura looked at it. "Why would anyone want to burn thread?" she asked him.

"I dunno, thread is pretty useful. It can…" his face lit up with sudden remembrance. "Bind people."

ooo

This was a very boring chapter, I know. I just felt like typing down al the things in my head so yeah, there you have it—quite a boring chapter.

Still, I'd be grateful for ehem, more reviews though, and comments and suggestions, well you know the blah, blah.


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